Ultrasound Medical System and Method

Abstract

An ultrasound medical system includes an interstitial end effector. The interstitial end effector is interstitially insertable into patient tissue, includes at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and includes at least one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device. One method for ultrasonically treating a lesion in a patient includes the steps of obtaining the interstitial end effector and inserting it into the patient creating a tissue track which is surrounded by patient tissue and which ends at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector. Other steps include ultrasonically ablating the lesion using the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track along substantially the entire tissue track, and withdrawing the end effector from the patient.

1 . An ultrasound treatment system comprising:
 a probe comprising a treatment ultrasound transducer configured to treat patient tissue;   a non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor coupled to the probe; and   a controller configured to communicate with the probe and the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor;   wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is positioned to be in contact with the patient tissue   wherein the controller is configured to control the probe and to receive feedback from the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor.   
     
     
         2 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is configured to measure tissue temperature. 
     
     
         3 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 2 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is at least one of a thermistor, and a thermocouple. 
     
     
         4 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is configured to measure tissue electrical impedance. 
     
     
         5 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 4 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is at least one of a monopolar electrode, and a bipolar electrode. 
     
     
         6 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is configured to a measure of the degree of ultrasonic ablation of the patient tissue. 
     
     
         7 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is configured to a measure of the degree of acoustic coupling to patient tissue. 
     
     
         8 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a tissue-ablating chemical agent configured to ablate the patient tissue. 
     
     
         9 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , wherein the tissue-ablating chemical agent is at least one of fibrin, alcohol, an acidic fluid, and a chemotherapeutic agent. 
     
     
         10 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , further comprising a non-ultrasound energy source configured to ablate the patient tissue. 
     
     
         11 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 10 , wherein the non-ultrasound energy source is at least one of a resistive heat energy source, a hot liquid energy source, a monopolar radio-frequency energy source, a bipolar radio-frequency energy source, a capacitive heat energy source, and a microwave energy source. 
     
     
         12 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 1 , wherein the probe is configured to dispense a drug to the patient tissue. 
     
     
         13 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 12 , wherein the drug is at least potentiated by ultrasound energy emitted from the treatment ultrasound transducer. 
     
     
         14 . An ultrasound treatment system comprising:
 a hand piece comprising a treatment ultrasound transducer configured to treat patient tissue; and   a non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor configured to measure tissue electrical impedance;   wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is positioned to be in contact with the patient tissue   wherein the tissue electrical impedance reported by the sensor is a measure of the degree of ultrasonic ablation of the patient tissue.   
     
     
         15 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 14 , further comprising a controller configured to control the treatment ultrasound transducer and to receive the tissue electrical impedance reported by the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor. 
     
     
         16 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 14 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is at least one of a monopolar electrode, and a bipolar electrode. 
     
     
         17 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 14 , further comprising at least one imaging ultrasound transducer positioned in the hand piece. 
     
     
         18 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 14 , wherein the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is configured to monitor the patient tissue during treatment. 
     
     
         19 . An ultrasound treatment system comprising:
 a hand-held probe comprising at least one ultrasound transducer configured to treat patient tissue; and   a non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor supported by the hand-held probe and positioned to be in contact with the patient tissue, the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor is configured to measure tissue electrical impedance and to report a measure of measure of the degree of ultrasonic ablation of the patient tissue as a function of the measure tissue electrical impedance.   
     
     
         20 . The ultrasound treatment system according to  claim 14 , further comprising a controller configured to control the treatment ultrasound transducer and to receive the tissue electrical impedance reported by the non-ultrasound tissue-property measuring sensor.